Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030

You just read the United Nation's theme of International Women's Day for 2017. Empowering women fuel thriving economies, spurring productivity and growth. Yet gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched in every society. Gender equality is not only a basic human right, but its achievement has enormous socio-economic ramifications. For many years, in furtherance to its vision of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, many serious challenges has been recognized and in its efforts to promote gender equality globally, UN comes up with a theme to set a goal as well as working line for the following year, in order to execute a dynamic and strong campaign for women and girls, providing all with a subject to pool ideas and opinions to, give voice at the global, regional and local levels. Women lack access to decent work and face occupational segregation and gender wage gaps and therefore on the line of the theme 'Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030', We The Women met women who are not well educated and hence not qualified for decent jobs but still are on their way to become empowered Women.

What comes into your mind, when you think of empowered woman? Probably a well educated or professional woman, or someone confident and bold, who can stand for herself or speak for herself, loud and clear, or probably someone who can dress the way she wants. Unintentionally, subconsciously we have urbanized the idea of Women Emancipation. But in various far flung villages of state, many women are coming forward to acquire skills, to be able and self-reliant. Under various schemes of Jammu & Kashmir State Women's Development Corporation, state's channelizing agency, various vocational trainings and skill development programs are being conducted. Training in trades, such as jute activity (including manufacturing of jute bags, Parshad bags, pouches, phone pouches, wall hanging pouches), Dori and Plastic Work (including decorative hanging clocks, mirrors etc.), artificial flower making, block printing, miniature printing, embroidery and so on, are conducted to empower women by identifying and promoting women entrepreneurs. Self-Help Groups are framed amongst these women after training and soft loans are provided at a very low rate of interest for providing micro credit to help them establish income generating units.

OFFICIAL THEMES OF UNITED NATIONS
1996: Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future
1997: Women and the Peace Table
1998: Women and Human Rights
1999: World Free of Violence against Women
2000: Women Uniting for Peace
2001: Women and Peace: Women Managing Conflicts
2002: Afghan Women Today: Realities and Opportunities
2003: Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals
2004: Women and HIV/AIDS
2005: Gender Equality Beyond 2005; Building a More Secure Future
2006: Women in Decision-making
2007: Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls
2008: Investing in Women and Girls
2009: Women and Men United to End Violence against Women and Girls
2010: Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All
2011: Equal Access to Education, Training, and Science and Technology: Pathway to Decent Work for Women
2012: Empower Rural Women, End Poverty and Hunger
2013: A Promise is a Promise: Time for Action to End Violence against Women
2014: Equality for Women is Progress for All
2015: Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!
2016: Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality

Rajni is one such entrepreneur, who not only became empowered but to everyone's surprise flourished in a way no one expected. This 23 years old, petite dusky girl, who has nothing extraordinary about her is now making the extraordinary happen. Only three years ago, she got trained in Jute Activity and today she is one of the leading entrepreneurs in the field of manufacturing Prashad bags. Despite being shy, she can boast in a subtle way that she has savings running in Lakhs from her recent venture. She has not only become self-reliant but also helped her unemployed father set up a provisional shop and brother to own an auto-Riksha to earn a living. But behind the story of Rajni is another woman. When Rajni was born to Kailash Devi, they both were left behind in hospital on their own, since everyone in the family was disappointed by birth of third girl. Little did they know that one day this girl along with her mother will be an example not only in their village Top Manhasa, but in all nearby villages also. Today Kailash is Training Instructor of Jute activity in Village Sumb and is assisting a self-help Group called 'Navriti' along with carrying out her own business. Story of Rajni brings hope in the gloomy darkness of the fate of women born in patriarchal society, beaten up by inequality.
Neha Devi is another girl from a small village in Samba District, known as Karandi, who is aspiring to be an entrepreneur. She had to drop out from college as she could not keep up with her studies because of lack of facilities in her village. But she enrolled in the first batch of training in Block Printing, also known as Calico printing, when WDC decided to revive the art form after ages. This girl is quintessential of many such girls who want to be independent. She says that it is essential to be strong and independent, so as to combat any abuse and harassment.
As I said in very first article of We the Women, "Empowerment of women is a need of the hour. It isn't merely for the benefits of women; a nation develops only when every citizen grows. A nation develops because of its human resource. And empowering women will enhance not only the quantity but quality of human resources, with which development is possible. Thus if any nation has to develop women empowerment is must." If you believe that you are a progressive person, you must acknowledge that without emancipation of women and upliftment of their status, there is no progress. Though it isn't at all easy to 'eliminate discrimination against women and girls; empower women; and achieve equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security' and it will take decades to be even close to its abstract form, but we should not underestimate how we as individuals can collectively make a difference. This International Women Day, we hope we stimulate your thought-process regarding the Women and make you appreciate them more.
'Intellectually, mentally, and spiritually, woman is equivalent to a male and she can participate in every activity." - M.K. Gandhi